Coronary Artery Disease Education & Prevention

Menu

Rotor Bike Components

Rotor Bike Components is based in Madrid, Spain. Spain has always been a nation known for outstanding metallurgy and precision manufacturing and Rotor far exceeds Spain’s legendary reputation.

At the intersection of innovation and engineering is where you’ll find Rotor – sitting atop the pinnacle of excellence. Driven to invent components that help you discover new ways to turn the pedals; Rotor’s corporate leadership and research/development staff are inspired by what’s possible within the boundaries of science, design, and purpose. Rotor is motivated develop original solutions that evolve your cycling experience.

Summit4CAD’s Founder Jon Patrick Hyde fell in love with the innovative science behind the design of Rotor’s Q-Ring Chain Ring system; an oval ring designed in increase your pedaling efficiency while reducing the wattage required to maintain your desired cadence. Add Rotor’s advanced crank designs – super light weight but extremely rigid cranks and chain ring spiders all thoroughly wind tunnel and computational fluid dynamic tested for ultimate aerodynamic advantage; and Jon knew that Rotor was a company he wanted on board as part of the creation of Summit4CAD’s “Super Bike”.

ROTOR FLOW AERO MAS CRANK SET

Designed using CFD (computational fluid dynamics) to maximize benefits, the paradigm-changing FLOW aero crank was made for both aero road bikes and pure TT bikes. It offers the time savings of classic aero cranks and the performance of leading road cranks, all at once. The focus on stiffness and functionality allow the FLOW to match and even beat full aero cranks in the real world. Stiffer than any other aero crank on the market, the FLOW saves you up to 6 seconds in a 40k TT.\

Additionally, the FLOW is lighter than the majority of other high-end cranks on the market. The Summit4CAD “Superbike” lost a full pound of weight when it was converted from a 24mm Shimano bearing set, Ultegra crank and 53/29T Ultegra chain ring set to 30mm Rotor Ceramic Press-Fit bearings, the FLOW crank set, and 53T Qarbon Q-Ring/38T Q-Ring set.

Other little touches which show the depth of Rotor’s design and manufacturing process include the reversible tension bolt which when reversed is the only tool needed for a quick and easy crank arm removal.

Q-RINGS

With Q-Rings you can ride further and faster with less fatigue because you are using your muscles more efficiently. Thanks to their oval shape, Q-Rings boost cycling performance by varying drive train resistance during pedaling in line with the legs’ natural strengths and weaknesses. By orienting the narrowing diameter of the oval to the weakest point of the pedal stroke and the widening diameter to the strongest point of the pedal stroke, you can take full advantage of the most-productive part of your pedal rotation (while lessening time spent in the least-productive part).

Jon experienced a dramatic increase in pedaling efficiency after the installation of Rotor’s FLOW crank and Q-Rings.

BELOW: two near identical rides on the Summit4CAD Eagle Super Bike – Same course with slightly different ride times/distances. Data was captured from the same set of Garmin Vector2 Power Meter Pedals – one week apart.

The first was captured with a Shimano Ultegra bearing, crank, and chain ring system (round). Jon averaged 348 watts over a 1 hour 19 minute ride with a cadence of 76. He spent a total of 11 minutes (approx) in heart zone 5.

The next ride was captured after the installation of Rotor Ceramic press-fit bearings, the FLOW crank, and 53/38T Q-Rings (Qarbon 53T). Jon averaged 183 watts over a 1 hour 25 minute long ride with a cadence of 76. He spent a total of 27 seconds in heart zone 5.

The Rotor Q-Rings decreased the amount of energy required to maintain an average 19.6mph speed with a cadence of 76 over the same cycling course. You will note that Jon’s power profile changed and thanks to the Rotor crank and chain rings he used less energy for the same performance.

QARBON Q-RINGS

Carbon fiber is ideal for improving weight and stiffness. A 3K woven, high-modulus carbon sheet is bonded to the outside of a Q-Ring to reinforce the Q-Ring´s structure.

Carbon fiber´s structural properties allow for a more aggressively-machined aluminum section in comparison with a conventional aluminum chain ring. At the same time, the stiffer carbon fiber sheet increases lateral stiffness and improves shifting quality.

8% lighter with 20% increased stiffness, Q-Rings Qarbon give you all the benefits of Q-Rings but with carbon fiber accents to both reduce weight and distinguish your bike as a performance machine.

I cannot recommend Rotor enough. These products are amazing and they really do elevate your performance capabilities. I saved valuable wattage each pedal stroke while climbing Haleakala – wattage that I needed as the atmosphere got thinner and my muscles became more fatigued.

Put the quality and innovation parts aside and you have a company of truly wonderful people who were kind, attentive, and so enthusiastic about what Summit4CAD is doing. They went above and beyond to help me make my ride a success. For that alone I am and always will be a loyal Rotor customer and fan.
This company truly cares about cyclists. That counts for everything in my book.